As rumors continue to swirl around the health crisis that has seen Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) hospitalized in a Washington, D.C., hospital since June 14, one thing is crystal clear: his wife of 33 years, Elaine Chao, has not been at his bedside nursing him back to health. And that's because Chao has been busily meeting with CCP officials in China.
RedState reported last month that McConnell had been "rushed to the hospital" suffering from an unknown "mystery ailment." Precious little official information on his condition has been offered in the nearly one month since his hospitalization.
Mrs. McConnell reportedly flew to China on June 17, a mere three days after the mystery illness struck her husband, and was photographed meeting with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng. Chinese state media service Xinhua reported that Han “urged further efforts to strengthen” the relationship between the U.S. and China during his meeting with Chao.
It is unclear in what capacity Chao – who served as secretary of labor under President George W. Bush and secretary of transportation during the first Trump administration – met with such a high-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party. Following the meeting, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States of America released a statement that said, in part:
Chao said maintaining stable U.S.-China relations serves the interests of all parties, and expressed the willingness to continue making efforts to promote practical cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the United States and China.
Chao, who was born in Taiwan and immigrated to the United States as a child, currently holds no government position, so questions abound about her Beijing jaunt, both about why she was there and why she would abandon her husband in his hour of need.
SEE ALSO: The Rumors on Mitch McConnell's Condition Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
Again? Senator Mitch McConnell Back in Hospital With Mystery Ailment
Author Peter Schweizer, who has written extensively on China, political corruption, and abuse of power by the political elite, took to social media on Tuesday to offer his take on Elaine Chao's ill-timed mystery trip to China. It's not such a mystery, said Schweizer, but more "a textbook example of “elite capture”, where high profile US officials become financially bound to the Chinese government."
Let's take a look.
Who did Chao meet with during her June trip? Chinese state news & university records indicate three public meetings:
— Peter Schweizer (@peterschweizer) July 8, 2026
• 6/12: Shanghai Jiao Tong University – an institution that boasts a hall named after her late mother & houses a military-tied naval architecture program.
•… pic.twitter.com/fZMHPSP56F
According to Schweizer, Mrs. McConnell met with a series of questionable characters while away from her husband's bedside.
Who did Chao meet with during her June trip? Chinese state news & university records indicate three public meetings:
• 6/12: Shanghai Jiao Tong University – an institution that boasts a hall named after her late mother & houses a military-tied naval architecture program.
• 6/16: Wu Ken, President of Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA) - a designated “United Front” group by Congress.
• 6/17: Chinese Vice President Han Zheng – recently served on the Politburo Standing Committee
The news of Chao's CCP meetings didn't shock the author.
This news isn’t shocking to us at the @Govt_Acct_Inst. I documented the McConnell-Chao family’s ties to Beijing in my 2018 book 'Secret Empires.'
Foremost Group, owned by Chao’s family, has received CCP funding since McConnell, Chao, and her father met with the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) in 1993.
But, wait, there's more from Schweizer.
My research proves Foremost Group’s dependence on the CCP:
• Chinese naval yards built their ships,
• State banks financed construction & operations at favorable rates, and
• Shipping & crew contracts were provided.
This is a textbook example of “elite capture”, where high profile US officials become financially bound to the Chinese government.
— Peter Schweizer (@peterschweizer) July 8, 2026
The timing of Chao’s visit and lack of urgency to return should raise concern.
-END- pic.twitter.com/adGxp7EPNQ
We still don't know a whole lot about McConnell's condition, but, as RedState's Jennifer Oliver O'Connell wrote earlier this week, long-time McConnell adviser Scott Jennings tweeted that he and the former Senate majority leader had spoken on Tuesday for 20 minutes about a range of issues.
A 20-minute chat with Scott Jennings may help calm some of the speculation about McConnell’s condition, but it does nothing to answer the bigger question: why was Elaine Chao glad-handing CCP officials in China while her husband was stuck in a D.C. hospital?
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